King fishing closed on Little Su

I usually write this column on either Tuesday or Wednesday of the week it runs and submit it late Wednesday evening to allow my editor time to get the column ready for printing in the Friday edition of the paper. Sometimes this lead time causes items to seem “after-the-fact” and sometimes it works out correctly.

Fish and Game Sport Fish Division issued an emergency order Wednesday afternoon closing the Little Susitna River to sport fishing for king salmon effective this morning starting at 12:01 a.m. This closure will remain in effect until the end of the king salmon season and supersedes any previous emergency order regarding king salmon fishing on the Little Su in 2014.

So far, only 19 king salmon have passed the Little Su weir, located around river mile 32.5 and about four miles upstream of the Little Susitna Public Use Facility. The escapement goal for the Little Su ranges from 900-1800 king salmon based on post season aerial survey counts. Somewhere around 200 kings have been reported caught over the past three weekend open harvest periods in exit surveys conducted by the State Parks staff who operate the site. Anglers and staff have reported kings holding in the lower river in low water, making them vulnerable to easy harvest.

The managers have been monitoring several run strength assessment factors and feel the minimum escapement goal will not likely be met without further restrictions. The next step is this ordered total king salmon fishing closure.

The news release states, “King salmon may not be retained or possessed; king salmon caught while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. The closure includes all waters of the Little Susitna River from its confluence with Cook Inlet upstream to the Parks Highway Bridge. Little Susitna River anglers may continue to fish for species other than king salmon downstream of the Parks Highway Bridge.”

This all serves to illustrate how variable the status of king salmon in the Northern District currently is. Last week, Fish and Game loosened restrictions on Deshka River king salmon fishing because of an early and somewhat stronger return than forecast. This week, they close the Little Su because of what appears to be an excessively weak king salmon run.

I was planning to write about licensing and permit requirements for sport fishing and personal use fisheries scheduled to open over the next few weeks in Southcentral Alaska. I was also going to refer anglers to the Sport Fish Division website where EO’s and/or news releases concerning in-season changes being made on various fisheries around the area are posted so folks can stay legal and better plan their fishing trips. This Little Su EO underscores the need to stay current on in-season management changes as they occur. The website is: www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm.

For those planning to fish the Eklutna Tailrace this weekend, be aware that, “A new youth-only fishery, approved by the Board of Fisheries in March of this year, is set to occur at Eklutna Tailrace this Saturday, June 21. The portion of the Eklutna Tailrace from the confluence with the Knik River, up-stream to the pedestrian bridge, will be open for fishing only to anglers age 15 and younger on Saturday, June 21 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The remainder of the tailrace will be open to fishing for anglers of all ages.” This is quoted from another Fish and Game news release.

The news release states, “The daily bag and possession limit is one king salmon 20 inches or longer and one in possession; less than 20 inches is 10 per day and ten in possession. Youth anglers must carry a free Harvest Record Card available at any license vendor in order to immediately record harvested king salmon 20 inches or longer.”

Hopefully, if you’re participating in the Kasilof River personal use (PU) set gillnet fishery, which opened last Sunday, you checked the Commercial Fisheries Division (CFD) news release website and noted the reduced hours from what is contained in regulation. This restriction is being done to reduce the number of Kasilof king salmon which would be taken in the PU set gillnet fishery.

The Commercial Fisheries Division regulation announcements, news releases, and updates website is: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main. While both the Sport Fish and Commercial Fisheries Divisions work together to manage the Cook Inlet salmon runs, the CFD issues most of the releases on PU fisheries. Bookmark both websites and check them often!